A 69-year-old Rancho Palos Verdes man was fatally injured early Tuesday when his 2003 Mercedes-Benz collided with a horse that had gotten loose in Rolling Hills Estates, officials said.

Ryan Y. Koyama, an optometrist, was driving southbound on Crenshaw Boulevard, just north of Palos Verdes Drive North, at about 2 a.m. when he encountered the horse.

The front of his Mercedes SL 500 hit the left side of the horse, seriously injuring the animal and causing major damage to the car, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The Mercedes rolled south and hit a fence after the collision. Rescue officials took Koyama to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The horse had escaped from nearby Seahorse Riding Club but all the gates were locked and it was not clear how the animal got out of the facility, said trainer Devon Gibson. It was badly injured and died at the scene.

"It's horrific. A human lost its life and a horse was smashed in two," Gibson said. "It's a horrific loss of life."